HARARE, Aug. 30 — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday declared a state of disaster following a head-on road traffic accident along the Harare-Masvingo highway Friday night that killed 27 people.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said the crash occurred at the 15-km peg from Chivhu, Mashonaland East Province. It involved a heavy truck transporting mining equipment from South Africa and a commuter omnibus carrying church congregants traveling from Dema to Mvuma. “The two vehicles were involved in a head-on collision, resulting in an immediate fire,” Garwe said, adding that several occupants of the commuter omnibus were trapped inside, with some sustaining fatal burns. As of Saturday, 27 people were confirmed dead, with 24 dying on the spot and three others succumbing to their injuries upon arrival at Chivhu General Hospital. Seven others who sustained critical injuries remain hospitalized. Garwe said emergency teams have cleared the truck and mining equipment that had blocked the carriageway, and the road is now fully passable. “The declaration of a state of disaster will enable the government to mobilize the necessary resources and coordinate appropriate interventions to assist the affected families and survivors,” Garwe said.
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